We gotta mad, mad love
by WhereIsYourHeart10
Summary: "The Original Big Bad has ruined everything in this town, including my latest attempt at being with Tyler. He deserves this." "But he's saved your life numerous times," argues a small part of her conscious. "Shut up," she argues back. / Caroline has a plan to rid Mystic Falls of Klaus for good. It requires a compromise of sorts: a sacrifice on both sides.


_This is an AU of Season 4. Most of the events are the same, Elena as a vampire, the continuing drama of the triangle. The freaky pastor still blew up all the people, but there is no hunter right now. And Tyler's...friend Haley showed up kind of early. Klaus definitely met her. And go._

_The characters and television show are not mine, I'm merely borrowing them._

* * *

**"You often meet your fate on the road you take to avoid it."**

**Goldie Hawn**

* * *

The sun's warmth is what wakes her. Not that she necessarily feels temperatures anymore. It's more like the remembrance of what a sun rise feels like through her bedroom window. So inevitably she knows another morning has come.

That doesn't mean she has to move from under her covers, however.

Content to sleep the rest of her life away and avoid the world, Caroline rolls over and pulls the pillow over her head.

_She does her best to fight the tears that are threatening to begin pooling in her eyes. Her hand shakes as she holds the photograph. The brown-haired girl is smiling giddily at the camera, whilst Tyler has an arm around her. His eyes aren't focused on the camera though. They're gazing at the beautiful young girl in his arms._

"_Hey Care, I was thinking we could order pizza tonight. I really wanted to watch the game at 7," Tyler drawls as he enters his room._

_He's scrolling through baseball stats online, and it takes a minute for him to notice her silence. "That okay?" he asks without turning around._

"…_No," she whispers._

_Tyler's voice seems confused. "Well we could go to the Grill I guess, I'm sure we can get Matt to turn on the TV while we eat."_

"_Who's Haley?" she manages after a moment._

_His fingers freeze on the keyboard. He slowly turns around in his chair to face her, his back leaning against his desk._

"_What?"_

"_Who is she?" she says, much more firm. This time she holds up the photo._

_His eyebrows are nearly in his hairline now. "Where did you get that?" he asks angrily._

"_Someone left it on my bed this morning. It was in an envelope so I just forgot about it 'til I was here. But that's not the point."_

_This time her voice is rising in octaves, as she slips off his bed. "It says on the back, 'Yours Always, Love Haley'. Who is she? Why does it look like the two of you are…why are your arms around her?! Why is she 'yours always'?"_

_Maybe her voice is starting to sound a little desperate. Caroline ignores it, her eyes now hard and bright._

"_Caroline, that- it's nothing! …She helped me break my sire bond, while I was gone. This is Klaus, just trying to ruin us! I guarantee he gave you that photo. Stop what you're thinking." _

_She throws the picture at him. "Fuck Klaus. Don't you patronize me," she practically growls out._

_Tyler stands now, the picture gripped in one of his fists. "What exactly are you asking, Caroline?"_

"_I'm asking what does she mean to you? What happened when you were gone?"_

She listens for any movement in the house. Her mother must already be at the station, reassuring the town that the investigation into the death of the majority of the Council is her top priority.

Her phone buzzes from her night stand, and she's determined to let it go to voicemail.

It's only when it rings a fourth time that she groggily reaches over and answers it.

"…Hello?"

Bonnie's voice is relieved, but nervous. "Caroline, oh thank god! Why didn't you answer? I've been calling!"

"Yeah, well I'm not exactly in the mood, Bonnie."

Something in her voice must be off, because Bonnie is silent for a long beat.

"Look, Caroline… I know things have been stressful lately, and Elena's transition hasn't been easy for any of us. But I think I may have just solved one of our many problems. It would give us options we didn't have before."

This makes her pause. She sits up in bed and sighs.

"Like what?" she asks cautiously.

"Klaus knows how to turn a vampire back to a human. I think I have a way to get it out of him," Bonnie says.

Caroline's mind races at the possibilities and she jumps out of bed. "How could you possibly know this?!"

"When I transferred him into Tyler…I saw that he'd been considering it for himself. I'm not sure why, or how, but he knows how to do it." Her voice is deadly serious.

"Why didn't you call Damon or Stefan?"

This time it's Bonnie's turn to sigh. "Well, to be quite honest… I know that Klaus has a bit of a weakness for you. This spell that I want to try… it requires… a level head. Not someone who acts first then thinks later."

_This sounds fishy. _"Bonnie, I'm not sure I like where you're going with this. I refuse to play bait again."

"Care, this could officially get the Evil Hybrid Original out of our hair. We could make him human. Just trust me, alright? I'm staking everything on this," Bonnie pleads.

She hadn't realized she been pacing until she steps on the broken picture frame she shattered the night before. Her own face and Tyler's are smiling up at her beneath the broken glass. As the cuts on the bottom of her foot heal, her resolve solidifies.

"I'll be at your place in 20 minutes."

Before she can hang up, she hears Bonnie's voice, full of strength. "I love you. And I promise this is it."

She pulls the phone back to her ear. "Love you too. And I hope so."

* * *

She doesn't even bother to dry her hair or put on make-up. _What does it matter? I have no one to impress now. _She refuses to think his name.

But the drive over to Bonnie's is filled with silence, so she can't help but dwell on the rest of last night.

"_I'm asking what does she mean to you? What happened when you were gone?"_

_Tyler's eyes slide to the floor. "Caroline," he whispers._

_Most of the anger has fled her body now. She's exhausted of this, of who they are together._

"_Do you love her?" is all she says, her voice eerily calm._

_He finally meets her eyes. He takes a deep breath. "You don't understand what it was like. Being away from you killed me, but I had to break the sire bond. And Haley…she saved my life again and again, Caroline. I guess I thought I could pretend what happened out there wouldn't matter once I came back…but clearly someone doesn't want that."_

_Tyler's eyes look sad, but his posture is stiff and unfeeling. "We could make this work, Caroline."_

_She takes an unnecessary breath. "I will always love you. But you can't have two lives, Tyler. We are supposed to have one together…" She trails off._

"_I can't forgive you for this. I won't."_

She's out of tears by now, but it still feels like a gaping hole is taking up her chest. To think of how easy it was for him to forget about her…

"Enough," she breathes.

She reaches out and fiddles with the radio, pausing on what sounds like a rap station. _Mindless lyrics about sex and money. Perfect._

* * *

"Let me get this straight," Caroline manages through her laughter.

"You want to pull Klaus's soul out of his body, and then dissect it for this information?" Her tone is incredulous, and her hands are flying through the air. "This is the weirdest thing I've ever heard. Why is my life so weird? This is practically an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer!"

Bonnie's trying to remain stoic, but she cracks a smile at the TV reference. "So am I Willow then? The lesbian witch best friend of the vampire slayer?"

Caroline giggles again. "I guess so; does that make me Buffy? Except for the whole, I'm-also-a-vampire-thing?"

Bonnie reaches for Caroline's hand across the coffee table. "Well you will be helping take down a bad guy, if this works. And you could be human again, yourself."

Caroline pulls in a deep breath at the idea. She runs her hands through her loose waves. "Explain my part again?"

"When his soul is removed from his body, Klaus will merely be like…an empty vessel. His body should not be killed or damaged in any way, or his soul will likely latch onto whoever is around…another repeat of the whole Tyler-body-snatching thing."

At the mention of his name, Caroline looks down at her hands. "Bonnie…I…"

"Look, I know it sounds ridiculous, protect the guy who's made our lives absolute hell; but it's vital his soul can sense it can be returned. It will make everything much easier."

Bonnie looks imploringly in her direction and Caroline can feel her stare. She looks up into the face of her best friend.

"What does Elena say about this?"

This causes Bonnie to smirk, but she shifts a little uncomfortably. "Elena's on distraction duty. I have a feeling the Salvatore brothers would love to take advantage of an incapacitated Klaus." She coughs slightly, embarrassed.

"And you want me to guard his body?!" she demands.

Bonnie nods sheepishly. "He apparently feels some connection with you. His soul will feel somewhat comfortable leaving his body if you're there…at least I hope."

Caroline gulps. She'd betrayed Klaus, been part of numerous plans to kill him, and endangered his family. _Why would he trust me at all, even subconsciously?_

"Bonnie, I don't know…how long will this take?"

"A day, tops. I just need him to be isolated, preferably in your house where you can keep an eye on him, and then I'll transfer his soul into an inanimate object," she explains.

"We can get whatever information we want, as long as we search carefully."

Trying to make light of the situation, Caroline jokes, "Well it sounds like you're creating some type of Horcrux, Bonnie."

Bonnie's eyebrow raises. "Harry Potter?"

Caroline laughs dryly and nods. "Yeah, I guess the whole witch pop culture thing is easy to use in any of our situations lately."

Bonnie laughs and shakes her head in amusement.

She then pulls the Grimoire off the coffee table and skims over the page.

Caroline looks at the book she can't possibly read and asks, "Well how does this work?"

"It says here that once we remove the soul from the body, we can actually pull things out of someone's soul…like, secrets, wishes, dreams even," she answers solemnly.

"That's how you plan on finding out what he knows about turning a vampire human again?" Caroline asks skeptically.

Bonnie's voice is disbelieving too. "Yeah, I guess so. Very carefully, I guess."

"So…this is like you interrogating someone without them knowing?"

Bonnie fidgets nervously. "Well, sort of. It's all about focusing the mind of the person. You make them channel what you want from their soul."

Caroline's thoughts were racing a mile a minute. _A murderous, Original Hybrid…his worst attribute was his rage and his love for death…he held the secret to reversing the vampiric process…but it's doubtful he would allow himself to be caught in any trap…_

_Unless…_

"Bonnie, I think I have an idea."

* * *

"Caroline, if my idea was weird, yours is downright insane!" Bonnie yells.

"Bonnie if we take away his immortality, Klaus wouldn't be an enemy!" she argues back.

"It's risky Caroline! His entire history is covered in death…it would be like erasing who he is, practically," she reasons. "Not to mention it could affect the rest of his bloodline, which includes you I might add."

"I think that the idea of being forced to live as a human is the perfect blackmail. It would be the ending of Nikklaus, the Original Hybrid, but he wouldn't be dead…his bloodline would still be intact." She takes a deep breath, certain of her logic.

Bonnie's face is concerned. "Caroline, this is a huge, monumental risk."

"Yeah, well I know that. All I'm saying is, what if we offer him the chance at a new life? His whole life has been about proving himself, and then murdering those who get in his way…if we take away his immortality, it won't cripple us anymore. And Elena could be human again…any of us could. But if he wants to continue to live eternally, he has to do it on our terms."

"What in the world makes you think he'd agree to such a thing?"

Caroline looks down at her hands. "Originals like to make deals. I'll offer him what he wants most: companionship."

Bonnie gasps, "Oh my god! You can't be serious!"

"He already said he would show me the world. He'd take care of me. What I'm saying is we trap him, but offer him a chance to be honest. Separating a soul from a body can't be pain-free. If he tells us what we want, I will go with him willingly. But if he doesn't, we will rip it from him, and then force him to be human." Her voice sounds desperate, but Caroline can't find it in herself to care.

Bonnie's face is now very serious. "Caroline, you are laying a trap for one of the most dangerous creatures on the planet. This won't be easy."

"I know." She grabs the witch's hand. "What's the worst case scenario?"

Bonnie cocks her head to the left, and squeezes Caroline's hand. "He could lose his soul, or parts of it. It's kind of like surgery. There's always some risk involved. Or he could somehow hurt you, even if I monitor him."

"If he makes a move we don't like, you can turn him human. I will check in with you every day, and if I miss a check in, you turn him human. I'll basically be his handler, like in spy movies," she reasons. A dry chuckle escapes her mouth at the thought.

Caroline's face becomes pensive, then. _This Original Big Bad has ruined everything in this town, including my latest attempt at being with Tyler. He deserves this. _

_But he's saved your life numerous times, argues a small part of her conscious._

_Shut up, she argues back._

"I think I know how I can get him to come over."

* * *

Caroline likes to pace when she's nervous or upset lately. So it's no surprise she's pacing when there's a knock on the door.

_Oh god, oh god, he's here. What if he sees right through me? _

She frantically straightens the living room once more, then checks to be sure she looks presentable in the foyer mirror.

As she grows closer to the door, she notices his back is turned towards her. His hands are grasped behind his back, and his shoulders are set. She can't help but admire her view of his…profile.

_Nope, nope, nope. Not the time or place._

She pulls open the door before she changes her mind.

"Klaus," she attempts to say evenly, but it sort of sounds breathless and she winces when he turns her way.

"Caroline," he says back smoothly.

There's an awkward pause when she notices his eyes don't have the same sparkle in them he had at the ball. _He probably hates me now, after all. This isn't going to work, oh god. I should just pretend I didn't mean to text him…_

"You texted me and asked me to be here?" he asks before she manages to freak out fully.

This catches her off guard. "I… well, yes, I did. I got the photo you left me. Why would you sabotage my relationship with Tyler, _again_? I mean, I realize your goal in life is to make everyone miserable and have complete control over your minions, but Tyler is not yours anymore, and it was actually really, really inappropriate of you to cause us to argue in such a way. And why were you even in my house, you know I hate that-"

"Caroline," he interrupts. She draws in a deep breath. _Whoops._

"What photo?" he asks genuinely.

"You know very well…" she trails off. _That actually sounded sincere…_

"You…didn't leave me the photo of Tyler and Haley?" she demands.

A spark of recognition at the name of the were-girl lights in his eyes. "Ahh. So you finally found out about Tyler's dirty little secret?"

Her jaw drops. "You didn't put that photo in my room? This wasn't some big sabotage or something?!"

At this he laughs, actually laughs, in her doorstep. "Love, if I wanted to expose you to the idiocy of Tyler Lockwood, I would have came up with something a bit grander, don't you think?"

Caroline huffs and starts muttering about no-good, meddling hybrids.

"However," he begins, "I have it on good authority that the girl, Haley, is in town. I met her myself the other day, at the Lockwood's mansion."

This leaves her speechless, and then she's seeing red.

"That son of a bitch! That lying son of a bitch! I knew it was too easy to break things off with him… he wanted this all along! He knew she was here, and he just didn't think he would get caught and I should really go rip his esophagus out right now!"

Caroline doesn't notice she's begun pacing in the foyer again. Her plan with Bonnie is now pushed to the back of her mind.

Klaus is leaning against her front door, watching her with amusement. "I take it he never really came clean when you confronted him."

She stops mid-stride. "No, he never really did. A lot of deflecting, you betcha, but no actual, god's honest truth! That asshole!"

Her fists are clenched as she paces again, and she really would like nothing more than to go confront him again. The memory of the pain in his eyes swims before her, and she pauses in her pacing once more. _It did hurt him to lose me…but he must have known it was coming. It was too easy. Instead of telling me the truth, he was just waiting until it all came out. _

"Well as much fun as this chat has been, I really must go, love." He starts to turn to leave, but she reaches out for his forearm before she can stop herself.

"Would you have told me?" she demands.

This question seems to confuse him, because he starts to ask what she means, but she cuts him off. "What he did? You knew obviously…so were you going to throw it all in my face?"

He looks into her eyes and searches for something. She's not sure what he finds, but he allows a look of sorrow to pass over his face.

"Caroline, you and I are on opposite sides of whatever war we are in once more. But I would not wish on you such a betrayal. And I most certainly would not use it as a weapon."

Caroline looks into his eyes and can only find sincerity there.

"Oh," she manages.

He looks at her with earnest, before she can nearly see an invisible wall go up once more. Now he looks just as he did when he first arrived. Guarded, and ready for any attack…even from her.

That's when she's reminded of the plan, and she quickly looks down at his feet. He's literally been toeing the line of her home, but not once has he stepped forward.

The binding spell Bonnie had placed on her house wouldn't work if Klaus _didn't even step inside!_

Only a few seconds have passed since he last spoke, but she knows that it's now or never to get him inside.

So instead of trying any kind of crazy method to make him step forward, she tries honesty.

"If you come inside, I'd like to make you some tea. And an offer you can't refuse."

* * *

x_  
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_If I get some responses, I will continue this. I'm planning a two or three part story. _

_Let me know what you all think! :)_


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